I turned down Real Madrid for City - Jovetic

Stevan Jovetic has claimed he rejected a move to Real Madrid to join Manchester City.

The Montenegro forward completed a £24 million move from Fiorentina last July, despite interest from clubs including Juventus and Arsenal.

And now the 24-year-old has revealed that the nine-times European champions wanted to buy him but said his former Fiorentina team-mate Matija Nastasic persuaded him to move to the Etihad.

He told BeIn Sport: "There was also Real Madrid, but I chose City. Nastasic and I talked a lot, he convinced me. I decided to come here because there is a major project with many players."

Jovetic added that he could have arrived in Manchester in 2012, rather than 2013, stating: "I should have come the year before, but I was happy and I had a nice season with [manager Vincenzo] Montella and Fiorentina."

The forward has only scored three goals in an injury-hit spell at City but is happy he made the right decision when opting for the English club.

Jovetic added: "I never regretted the choice. Sure these four or five months have been difficult at the beginning because I was not playing, I got injured often, but now it is all behind me.

"I never doubted myself even in the most difficult moments. I knew that I could play in this team and now I have to prove that."

Jovetic has featured in City's last four games, scoring his first Premier League goal as a substitute in the 5-1 win over Tottenham.

In October, he said he would have been a Juventus player if City had not come in for him, insisting: "If I would have not gone to Manchester City, I would have gone to Juventus."